Bears Close Palmetto State Trip with Furman

Saturday, January 6

Greenville, S.C.

2 P.M.

Mercer University

Furman

1/5/2018 3:27:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Live Stats Watch Listen Game Notes

By: David Fox

MACON, Ga. – Mercer Women's Basketball will aim to pick up its 12^th consecutive victory on Saturday when the Bears take on the Furman Paladins. Tip-off is slated to begin at 2 p.m. inside Timmons Arena in Greenville, S.C.

BEAR NECESSITIES
Date: Saturday, Jan. 6, 2018 | 2 p.m.
Teams: Mercer (14-2, 1-0) at Furman (10-5, 1-0)
Location: Greenville, S.C. | Timmons Arena
TV: ESPN3
TV Talent: Scott Cole & Bryant Lambert
Radio: 97.3 & 103.3 "The Bull", iHeartRadio, Sports Mic
Radio Talent: Rick Cameron
Live Stats: furmanpaladins.com/livestats
Twitter Updates: @MercerWBB
Game Notes: Mercer | Furman

We're Goin' Streaking
Mercer enters Saturday's showdown on an 11-game winning streak, most recently defeating Wofford in the SoCon opener, 71-46, in Spartanburg, S.C. The Bears are going for win number 12 in-a-row on Saturday, which would tie Mercer with the most consecutive wins under current head coach, Susie Gardner. Gardner led Mercer on a 12-game winning streak during the 2012-13 season, which is the longest since joining Division I. The program record for consecutive wins is 21 set in 1973 when the Bears competed at the Division II level.

Sweet Palmetto Sweep
Mercer has been on a tear against opponents from South Carolina in the past four years. The Bears are 3-0 this season against opponents from the Palmetto State. Mercer finished 6-0 last season against South Carolina opponents, as well as 6-0 in 2015-16. The last loss against an opponent from South Carolina was Furman on Jan. 19, 2015 (58- 55). Since then, Mercer has won 18 consecutive games against Palmetto State competitors.

SoCon Recognition
Kahlia Lawrence was named SoCon Player of the Week on Tuesday for the first time this season after turning in a stellar two-week performance. Lawrence was then recognized on Thursday for being the SoCon Player of the Month for the second consecutive month. Lawrence averaged 20.4 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.6 assists during the eight-game span, guiding the Bears to a perfect 8-0 record during the month of December. Lawrence's marquee performance came against North Carolina on Dec. 28 when the senior guard tallied a career-best 39 points and 13 rebounds.

Last Time Out
Mercer is coming off a SoCon-opening victory over Wofford on Thursday in Spartanburg, S.C., besting the Terriers 71-46. The Bears got off to a hot start, outscoring Wofford 21-8 in the opening quarter. Mercer extended its lead to as much as 23 in the second quarter before Wofford ended the half on an 8-0 run to trim the Bears' lead to 15. Mercer ran away with the game in the second half, outscoring the Terriers 38-28, including 21-13 in the final quarter.

KeKe Calloway led all scorers with a career-high 34 points on a career-best 13 made field goals. Calloway also knocked down 7-of-10 from beyond the arc, marking the fourth time in her career that she has connected on seven threes. Kahlia Lawrence finished the game with 13 points, while Sydni Means ended the contest with eight assists and 10 rebounds.

Series History
The Bears are 11-4 all-time against the Paladins. Since Coach Gardner took over the program, Mercer has notched seven wins against Furman, including six consecutive victories against the Paladins. During the six-game winning streak, the Bears have averaged 70.2 points per game against Furman, yielding just 57.2 points.

Figuring Out Furman
The Paladins are 10-5 heading into tomorrow's tilt. Most recently, Furman notched a conferenceopening win against Samford by the final score of 45-41. The Paladins were led in scoring by Cierra Carter with 19 points and six rebounds. The Paladins held the Bulldogs to 26.5 percent from the field, including 20 percent from beyond the arc.

Furman is anchored by Carter, averaging 16.5 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. Carter was named SoCon Player of the Week on Dec. 19. Le'Jzae Davidson is second on the squad in scoring, averaging 14.1 points and is the perimeter shooter on the squad, knocking down a team-best 35 threes. Celena Taborn rounds out the doubledigit scorers on the team, notching 11.3 points per game, all off the bench for Furman.

The Paladins are averaging 69.7 points per game, yielding just 64.2 to opponents. Furman ranks atop the conference in field goal percentage (43.6) and blocks per game (4.2).

Follow the Bears
For complete coverage of Mercer Women's Basketball, please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerWBB (Twitter), /MercerWBB(Facebook) and @MercerWBB (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.